“The meaning of this passage is that those who obtained benefit during the Former and Muddle Days of the Law received “conspicuous” benefit, because the relationship they formed with the Lotus Sutra during the lifetime of the Buddha had finally matured. On the other hand, those born today in the Latter Day of the Law receive the seeds of Buddhahood for the first time, and their benefit is therefore “inconspicuous.” — Nichiren from Teaching, Practice, and Proof

SGI background states:

“..In this letter, Nichiren Daishonin states that Shakyamuni’s teachings no longer lead to enlightenment in the Latter Day of the Law, and that only Nam-myoho-renge-kyo combines the three elements of teaching, practice, and proof essential to making Buddhism viable.”

An SGI member regurgitates this misunderstanding:

“In this passage Nichiren states that those who lived in the Former and the Middle day of the Law were able to attain Buddhahood through their relationship with the Lotus Sutra of Shakyamuni and his disciples who have been born together, their cause have matured as the effect accumulated from past existences therefore their harvested benefit is conspicuous since they share the same heriage. However, those who are born in the Latter Day of the Law are no longer connected to Shakyamuni’s harvested enlightenment and are receiving the seed of Buddhahood hidden in the depth of Lotus Sutra for the first time through the very Law that all Buddhas have attained throughout time and space revealed by Nichiren Daishonin being Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.”

Nichiren, on the other hand, goes on to correct this non sequitur:

"Answer: The above-mentioned commentary states that such an interpretation of the last five-hundred-year period is “superficial.” From a more profound viewpoint, the Lotus Sutra will spread throughout the ten thousand years of the Latter Day. The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai comments on the previously quoted sutra passage, stating: “It is not only the people who live during the Buddha’s lifetime who obtain great benefits. In the last five hundred year period, the mystic way will spread and benefit humankind far into the future.” Does this annotation suggest anything other than the ten thousand years of the Latter Day of the Law? The “Distinctions in Benefits” chapter in the sixth volume of the Lotus Sutra states, “In the evil age of the Latter Day of the Law if there is someone who can uphold this sutra . . . .” Also the “Peaceful Practices” chapter reads, “In the Latter Day of the Law, if one wishes to preach this sutra . . .” These quotations refer to [the propagation of the Lotus Sutra in] the ten thousand years of the Latter Day of the Law. All the Buddha’s teachings other than the Lotus Sutra are covered by his declaration: “In these more than forty years, I have not yet revealed the truth.” Moreover, there are some cases where the sutras have been revised according to the understanding of those who compiled them and therefore cannot be trusted.”

SGI and the above mentioned SGI member have revised the teachings and can not be trusted. Let us look at the most important Gosho, The True Object of Worship to see if what SGI teaches accords with the mind of Nichiren:

“People can attain enlightenment in two ways: by meeting the Buddha and hearing the Lotus Sutra, or by believing in the sutra even though they do not meet the Buddha…” [Writings of Nichiren Daishonin page 359]

Nichiren goes on to say:

“It is evident that the Revelation of Eternity was preached for the sake of those who live at the beginning of the period of Deprivation. In this respect, we are as fortunate as those who heard the Buddha in person, the difference is, they brought to fruition Buddhahood by hearing the ‘One Chapter and Two Halves’, while we are endowed with the seeds of Buddhahood by receiving the Five Words.” (Five Major Writings of Nichiren, Kanjin No Honzon Sho, NOPPA pg 370)

It is always the Lotus Sutra that leads to Enlightenment but the practice of the Lotus Sutra differs according to the age. The seed of Buddhahood is always Shakyamuni Buddha's Myoho renge kyo [Lotus Sutra].

The practice of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter day is Namu Myoho renge kyo, not singing silly songs to Sensei or deprecating the Lotus Sutra by teaching that it is no longer valid in Mappo.

Sunday, January 28, 2018

Neither Shakyamuni Buddha nor Nichiren Daishonin would be impressed, so why should you?

"Devadatta, however, did not command such respect from others, so he began to consider whether there was not some way he could gain worldly fame that would surpass that of the Buddha." -- Letter to Horen

"They are persons who have abandoned a great doctrine and instead chosen lesser doctrines. If we judge from examples in the past, they will probably suffer for countless kalpas in the three evil paths. It is persons such as these that T’ient’ai meant when he said, “If they encounter an evil friend, they will lose their true mind.” (On the Four Stages of Faith).

"They cling to incomplete doctrines and are attached to receiving alms and being treated with deference; they recognize only false doctrines, distance themselves from good friends, approach with familiarity such slanderers who delight in attachment to the teachings of the lesser vehicle, and do not believe in the great vehicle. Therefore they slander the Law of the Buddhas.

A person of wisdom should not fear enemy households, snakes, the poison of fire, the god Indra, the roll of thunder, attacks by swords and staves, or wild beasts such as tigers, wolves, and lions. For these can only destroy one’s life, but cannot cause one to fall into the Avichi hell, which is truly terrifying. What one should fear is slander of the profound teaching as well as companions who are slanderers, for these will surely cause one to fall into the frightful Avichi hell. Even if one befriends evil companions and with evil intent spills the Buddha’s blood, kills one’s own father and mother, takes the lives of many sages, disrupts the unity of the Buddhist Order, and destroys all one’s roots of goodness, if one fixes one’s mind on the correct teaching, one can free oneself from that place. But if there is someone who slanders the inconceivably profound teaching, that person will for immeasurable kalpas be unable to obtain emancipation. However, if there is one who can cause others to awaken to and take faith in a teaching such as this, then that person is their father and mother, and also their good friend. This is a person of wisdom. After the Thus Come One’s passing, that person corrects false views and perverse thoughts, and causes people to enter the true way. For that reason, he has pure faith in the three treasures, and his virtuous actions lead others to enlightenment.” (The Problem to be Pondered Night and Day)"It is a rare thing to be born as a human being. And if, having been born as such, you do not do your best to distinguish between the correct doctrine and the incorrect so that in the future you may attain Buddhahood, then you are certainly not fulfilling your true worth as a human being." (On Prayer)

Not sharing Nichiren's doctrines on the Lotus Sutra and Eternal Buddha, the SGI member's happiness. which are based on provisional teachings, can only be considered an ephemeral happiness.

Nichiren quotes Tientai:

"To liberate oneself from the [three-fold] world by means of the provisional [teachings] is called an ephemeral liberation." (Third Doctrine)

and

"...T’ien-t’ai and Miao-lo are commenting on this passage. In this passage of the sutra, all the teachings, from the Flower Garland Sutra, which was expounded immediately after the Buddha’s enlightenment and which combines both specific and perfect teachings, to the fourteen chapters that comprise the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra, are termed “inferior teachings.” Those who delight in them are called people “meager in virtue and heavy with defilement,” and the liberation achieved through them is shown to be an ephemeral liberation." (ibid. Third Doctrine)

The peaceful practices of the Soka Gakkai, engaging the provisional Buddhists, the Christians and the Muslims, in "warm and constructive dialogue" are the practices of the first fourteen chapters of the Lotus Sutra.

"There is no true happiness other than upholding faith in the Lotus Sutra. This is what is meant by “peace and security in their present existence and good circumstances in future existences.”" (Happiness in this World)

"Now, if you wish to attain Buddhahood, you have only to lower the banner of your arrogance, cast aside the staff of your anger, and devote yourself exclusively to the one vehicle of the Lotus Sutra. Worldly fame and profit are mere baubles of your present existence, and arrogance and prejudice are ties that will fetter you in the next one. Ah, you should be ashamed of them! And you should fear them, too!" (Embracing the Lotus Sutra)

It is futile. All significant changes in SGI come from above. Try to change the distribution of Nichikan Gohonzon to Nichiren Gohonzon. Try to change Nam Myoho renge kyo to Namu Myoho renge kyo. But if mentor says "change" [regarding anything big or small], it's changed within a day. Another reason not to work to change SGI from within is that Nichiren teaches, "do not associate with slanderers."

The principle or doctrine of karma furnishes answers to the profound questions of being.

Individual Karma...

One child is born sightless to poverty stricken parents in a drought and war ravaged region of Africa and another born to immensely wealthy parents in a penthouse in Zurich. One childis is born with an IQ of 60 and can barely feed himself and another is reading an encyclopedia by the age of two. A four year old girl who never took a music lesson can play several different instruments while another with cerebral palsy can not even hold a spoon. One child is born into the Brahman caste and another into an untouchable family. Still another overcomes her disability and goes on to develop a cure for AIDS while a perfectly healthy world class athlete suffers a career ending compound fracture of the femur. There are five billion examples of differences in fortune, wisdom, physical and mental drive and abilities.

There are rarely encountered adults and even children who have a documented first hand knowledge of historical individuals, events, and locations and there are unmistakable shared physical and mental characteristics among certain deceased and living individuals with no associated shared heredity. Only the doctrine of Karma reasonably explains and answers this observable reality.

Collective Karma...

Examples of collective karma are those with cerebral palsy, those born white, those killed in the holocaust, doctors, lawyers, indian chiefs. Either there is individual and group responsibility or there is none. Weal and woe either happens by chance, the will of god, or through the thoughts, words, and actions of individuals and groups. Those who have faith in the Lotus Sutra believe in personal and group responsibility caused by the thoughts, words, and deeds of individuals and groups accumulated since the infinite past. Who is the agent of your weal or woe? I hit my thumb with a hammer. I would be a fool to blame someone else. Likewise, only fools blame God, others, the environment, or chance for their misfortune.

Nichiren Daishonin on Karma:

"Question: How can you be certain that the exiles and sentences of death imposed on you are the result of karma created in the past?

Answer: A bronze mirror will reflect color and form. The First Emperor of the Ch'in dynasty had a lie-detecting mirror that would reveal offenses committed in this present life. The mirror of the Buddha's Law makes clear the causal actions committed in the past. The Parinirvana Sutra states: "Good man, because people committed countless offenses and accumulated much evil karma in the past, they must expect to suffer retribution for everything they have done. They may be despised, cursed with an ugly appearance, be poorly clad and poorly fed, seek wealth in vain, be born to an impoverished and lowly family or one with erroneous views, or be persecuted by their sovereign. They may be subjected to various other sufferings and retributions. It is due to the blessings obtained by protecting the Law that they can diminish in this lifetime their suffering and retribution."

Namu Myoho renge kyo and Karma...

Karma can be the most comforting or the most disquieting belief. Everything depends on one's Buddhist faith and practice, true and correct or false and mistaken. Certitude of karmic reward is always comforting while certitude of karmic retribution may or may not be disquieting. You will have to repay your karmic debt. If you have accumulated much karmic reward, the debt seems insignificant. If you have accumulated little karmic reward, your debt seems oppressive. Chanting Namu Myoho renge kyo with a correct faith and teaching others to do the same, is the way to accumulate infinite karmic reward. Your travails will pale in significance.

The DaiGohonzon breeds liars [Nichikan and Daisaku Ikeda], forgers [Nichiu and those who compose fake Gosho and self serving translations], smiling backstabbers [SGI senior leaders, Nichiren Shoshu priests], flatterers [Ikeda, SGI, and NST members], and those with crooked principles [Fuji School adherents]. It has led to untoward deaths, incurable illnesses, calamities, and the spawning of the Soka Gakkai.

"This is a point that is not only in Nichiren Buddhism - the Christians, the Jews, and other religions have broken down into different ways in which to practice. Hence sects in Buddhism. people imho strive to be individuals, unique - I am not sure many wake up and say I want to be part of a group where we all do the exact same thing. Go to a Jehova meeting, white shirts, women in dresses, the main person reading on stage reads from their bible or watchtower. they are carbon copies of each other. they do not have branches, sects or any differences between them. actually I think they are the only whole religion in the world. what you are saying sounds to me like you feel that the only way for Buddhism to be whole is be all the same. I say how boring. no need for conversation, or questions... squash all seeking spirits. Just follow the one in front of you and if you turn around the one behind is doing the same so it does not matter which direction you are going it is all the same. rather than be carbon copies why not just stop fighting? Isn't fighting anti-Buddhist? Respect and metta - compassion and understanding will bring light to Buddhism.'

Response:

Correcting wrong thought is the practice of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth in the Latter Day. It was the practice of Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin. Lets take your idea to its logical conclusion...One school or individual decides it's ok to chant the Daimoku and to worship Amida Buddha. This person or sect calls itself Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism or "I am a Nichiren Buddhist" because they chant the Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra. Many people will get the insanely wrong idea that this is correct and some will even be led to believe that Nichiren Daishonin believed that all teachings lead to Buddhahood. Another places a statue of Jesus on the altar and instructs others that individual destiny is shaped by a greater being . This person too, erroneously believes that as long as one chants the Daimoku he is a Nichiren Buddhist. Yet another is a Japanese militarist like Ishiwara who believes and teaches that Japan has a mandate to spread the Daimoku by whatever means. He assembles several divisions of zealous youth, arms them to the teeth and indoctrinates them with the Lotus Sutra teachings, "We do not value our own lives, we value only the Supreme Way." He leads them on a crusade against the Chinese heretics to convert them to the Daishonin's teachings. He not only calls himself a Nichiren Buddhist but others maintain that he is a great Wheel Turning King of Japan born to protect the Law by forcibly infusing and diffusing the teachings that have originated in Japan.* If you really study the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin and take the teachings of the Lotus Sutra to heart, you can never come to the interpretations and conclusions of these men. I would argue that they can chant the Daimoku day and night but that still doesn't make them Nichiren Buddhists. Those who continue to argue that all are Nichiren Buddhists who chant the Daimoku, regardless of their beliefs, will quickly destroy the sublime teachings of the Lotus Sutra. Anyone who fails to take the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo Chapter, and Nichiren Daishonin as teachers and who fails to take their teachings to heart, can not be considered a Nichiren Buddhist. We are all individuals by virtue of causes and conditions. This does not change by embracing the same Law, practice, and faith as Nichiren Daishonin. Damson, apple, pear and cherry blossoms are all flowers. They all grow from the earth and they are all nourished by a single shower of rain.*One may only take up arms in defending the true Law and the believers. Nichiren taught that the way to spread the true Law is through a horizontal transmission [though the people] and vertical transmission [through converting the sovereign]. The vertical transmission too, according to Nichiren, is based on a constitution or decree of the sovereign making the Lotus Sutra the national religion. Both horizontal and vertical transmission is based on compassion, dialogue, and debate.

Compassion and correcting wrong thoughtSomeone on the Independent Sangha wrote:

"This is a point that is not only in Nichiren Buddhism - the Christians, the Jews, and other religions have broken down into different ways in which to practice. Hence sects in Buddhism. people imho strive to be individuals, unique - I am not sure many wake up and say I want to be part of a group where we all do the exact same thing. Go to a Jehova meeting, white shirts, women in dresses, the main person reading on stage reads from their bible or watchtower. they are carbon copies of each other. they do not have branches, sects or any differences between them. actually I think they are the only whole religion in the world. what you are saying sounds to me like you feel that the only way for Buddhism to be whole is be all the same. I say how boring. no need for conversation, or questions... squash all seeking spirits. Just follow the one in front of you and if you turn around the one behind is doing the same so it does not matter which direction you are going it is all the same. rather than be carbon copies why not just stop fighting? Isn't fighting anti-Buddhist? Respect and metta - compassion and understanding will bring light to Buddhism.'

Response:

Correcting wrong thought is the practice of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth in the Latter Day. It was the practice of Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin. Lets take your idea to its logical conclusion...One school or individual decides it's ok to chant the Daimoku and to worship Amida Buddha. This person or sect calls itself Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism or "I am a Nichiren Buddhist" because they chant the Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra. Many people will get the insanely wrong idea that this is correct and some will even be led to believe that Nichiren Daishonin believed that all teachings lead to Buddhahood. Another places a statue of Jesus on the altar and instructs others that individual destiny is shaped by a greater being . This person too, erroneously believes that as long as one chants the Daimoku he is a Nichiren Buddhist. Yet another is a Japanese militarist like Ishiwara who believes and teaches that Japan has a mandate to spread the Daimoku by whatever means. He assembles several divisions of zealousnyouth, arms them to the teeth and indoctrinates them with the Lotus Sutra teachings, "We do not value our own lives, we value only the Supreme Way." He leads them on a crusade against the Chinese heretics to convert them to the Daishonin's teachings. He not only calls himself a Nichiren Buddhist but others maintain that he is a great Wheel Turning King of Japan born to protect the Law by forcibly infusing and diffusing the teachings that have originated in Japan.* If you really study the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin and take the teachings of the Lotus Sutra to heart, you can never come to the interpretations and conclusions of these men. I would argue that they can chant the Daimoku day and night but that still doesn't make them Nichiren Buddhists. Those who continue to argue that all are Nichiren Buddhists who chant the Daimoku, regardless of their beliefs, will quickly destroy the sublime teachings of the Lotus Sutra. Anyone who fails to take the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo Chapter, and Nichiren Daishonin as teachers and who fails to take their teachings to heart, can not be considered a Nichiren Buddhist. We are all individuals by virtue of causes and conditions. This does not change by embracing the same Law, practice, and faith as Nichiren Daishonin. Damson, apple, pear and cherry blossoms are all flowers. They all grow from the earth and they are all nourished by a single shower of rain.*One may only take up arms in defending the true Law and the believers. Nichiren taught that the way to spread the true Law is through a horizontal transmission [though the people] and vertical transmission [through converting the sovereign]. The vertical transmission too, according to Nichiren, is based on a constitution or decree of the sovereign making the Lotus Sutra the national religion. Both horizontal and vertical transmission is based on compassion, dialogue, and debate.

Nichiren teaches, "Leave such matters [worldly fame and profit] to the karma formed in your previous existences." -- Questions and Answers about Embracing the Lotus Sutra page 63SGI, on the other hand, teaches that it is determination [Ichinen] that determines such things.

Nichiren also teaches:

"How terrible are the slanders Nichiren has committed in his past and present existences! Since you have been born into this evil country and become the disciples of such a man, there is no telling what will happen to you. The Parinirvāna Sutra states: “Good man, because people committed countless offenses and accumulated much evil karma in the past, they must expect to suffer retribution for everything they have done. They may be despised, cursed with an ugly appearance, be poorlyclad and poorly fed, seek wealth in vain, be born to an impoverished and lowly family or one with erroneous views, or be persecuted by their sovereign.” It continues: “They may be subjected to various other sufferings and retributions. It is due to the blessings obtained by protecting the Law that they can diminish in this lifetime their suffering and retribution.” Were it not for Nichiren, these passages from the sutra would virtually make the Buddha a liar. The sutra says, first, “They may be despised”; second, “They may be cursed with an ugly appearance”; third, “They may be poorly clad”; fourth, “They may be poorly fed”; fifth, “They may seek wealth in vain”; sixth, “They may be born to an impoverished and lowly family”; seventh, “They may be born to a family with erroneous views”; and eighth, “They may be persecuted by their sovereign.” These eight phrases apply only to me, Nichiren.

One who climbs a high mountain must eventually descend. One who slights another will in turn be despised. One who deprecates those of handsome appearance will be born ugly. One who robs another of food and clothing is sure to fall into the world of hungry spirits. One who mocks a person who observes the precepts and is worthy of respect will be born to an impoverished and lowly family. One who slanders a family that embraces the correct teaching will be born to a family that holds erroneous views. One who laughs at those who cherish the precepts faithfully will be born a commoner and meet with persecution from one’s sovereign. This is the general law of cause and effect.

My sufferings, however, are not ascribable to this causal law. In the past I despised the votaries of the Lotus Sutra. I also ridiculed the sutra itself, sometimes with exaggerated praise and other times with contempt—that sutra as magnificent as two moons shining side by side, two stars conjoined, one Mount Hua placed atop another, or two jewels combined. This is why I have experienced the aforementioned eight kinds of sufferings. Usually these sufferings appear one at a time, on into the boundless future, but Nichiren has denounced the enemies of theLotus Sutra so severely that all eight have descended at once. This is like the case of a peasant heavily in debt to the steward of his village and toother authorities. As long as he remains in his village or district, rather than mercilessly hounding him, they are likely to defer his debts from one year to the next. But when he tries to leave, they rush over and demand that he repay everything at once. This is what the sutra means when it states, “It is due to the blessings obtained by protecting the Law.” -- Letter from Sado

and

"Answer: A bronze mirror will reflect color and form. The First Emperor of the Ch’in dynasty had a lie-detecting mirror that would reveal offenses committed in this present life. The mirror of the Buddha’sLaw makes clear the causal actions committed in the past. TheParinirvāna Sutra states: “Good man, because people committed countless offenses and accumulated much evil karma in the past, they must expect to suffer retribution for everything they have done. They may be despised, cursed with an ugly appearance, be poorly clad andpoorly fed, seek wealth in vain, be born to an impoverished and lowly family or one with erroneous views, or be persecuted by their sovereign. They may be subjected to various other sufferings and retributions. It is due to the blessings obtained by protecting the Law that they can diminish in this lifetime their suffering and retribution.”

This sutra passage and my own experience tally exactly. By now all the doubts that I have raised earlier should be dispelled, and thousands of difficulties are nothing to me. Let me show you phrase by phrase how the text applies to me. “They may be despised,” or, as the Lotus Sutrasays, people will “despise, hate, envy, or bear grudges against them”—and in exactly that manner I have been treated with contempt and arrogance for over twenty years. “They may be cursed with an ugly appearance,” “They may be poorly clad”—these too apply to me. “They may be poorlyfed”—that applies to me. “They may seek wealth in vain”—that applies tome. “They may be born to an impoverished and lowly family”—that applies to me. “They may be persecuted by their sovereign”—can there be any doubt that the passage applies to me? The Lotus Sutra says, “Again and again we will be banished,” and the passage from theParinirvāna Sutra says, “They may be subjected to various other sufferings and retributions.” [These passages also apply to me.]

The passage also says, “It is due to the blessings obtained by protecting the Law that they can diminish in this lifetime their suffering and retribution.” The fifth volume of Great Concentration and Insight has this to say on the subject: “The feeble merits produced by a mind only half intent on the practice cannot alter [the realm of karma]. But if one carries out the practice of concentration and insight so as to observe ‘health’ and ‘illness,’ then one can alter the cycle of birth and death [in the realm of karma].” It also says, “[As practice progresses and understanding grows], the three obstacles and four devils emerge in confusing form, vying with one another to interfere.”

From the beginningless past I have been born countless times as an evil ruler who deprived the votaries of the Lotus Sutra of their robes and rations, their fields and crops, much as the people of Japan in the present day go about destroying the temples dedicated to the Lotus Sutra. In addition, countless times I cut off the heads of the votaries of the Lotus Sutra. Some of these grave offenses I have already paid for, but there must be some that are not paid for yet. Even if I seem to have paid for them all, there are still ill effects that remain. When the time comes for me to transcend the sufferings of birth and death, it will be only after I have completely freed myself from these grave offenses. My merits are insignificant, but these offenses are grave.

If I practiced the teachings of the provisional sutras, then these retributions for my past grave offenses would not appear. When iron is heated, if it is not strenuously forged, the impurities in it will not become apparent. Only when it is subjected to the tempering process again and again will the flaws appear. When pressing hemp seeds, if one does not press very hard, one will not get much oil from them. Likewise, when I vigorously berate those throughout the country who slander the Law, I meet with great difficulties. It must be that my actions in defending the Law in this present life are calling forth retributions for the grave offenses of my past. If iron does not come into contact with fire, it remains black, but if it contacts fire, it turns red. If you place a log across a swift stream, waves will pile up like hills. If you disturb a sleeping lion, it will roar loudly." --Opening of the Eyes

"There is no need to seek impatiently for greatness, fame or wealth. The Earth and Sun do not hurry; they follow their own path at their own pace. If the Earth were to accelerate and complete one rotation in three hours instead of twenty - four, we would be in big trouble! The most important thing in life, too, is to find a sure and certain path and confidently advance along it." -- Daisaku Ikeda"How long does a lifetime last? If one stops to consider, it is like a single night’s lodging at a wayside inn. Should one forget that fact and seek some measure of worldly fame and profit? Though you may gain them, they will be mere prosperity in a dream, a delight scarcely to be prized. You would do better simply to leave such matters to the karma formed in your previous existences." -- Nichren's Questions and Answers on Embracing the Lotus Sutra.

The Nichiren schools have been fighting for more than 700 years. No one has been more vitriolic than the Nichiren Shoshu and Soka Gakkai [the Fuji schools] whose pronouncements about the "false" Gohonzons and horrible destinies of the practitioners of the other schools are intensely provocative. The only way to end the fight is for everyone to embrace the same doctrines, faith, and practice as Nichiren Daishonin. Everyone will have to adopt the same Three Treasures, Three Great Secret Laws, and mindset as Nichiren Daishonin regarding the exclusive faith and practice of the Lotus Sutra. Everyone will have to chant Namu Myoho renge kyo [not some who chant Namu Myoho renge kyo and others who chant Nam Myoho renge kyo] or we will never be able to chant together and settle our differences. Although it will be a bitter pill for some to swallow, only Gohonzons having the same actual AND symbolic representation as taught by Nichiren Daishonin should be utilized. Everyone will have to agree on the authenticity or in-authenticity of the various writings of Nichiren Daishonin based on rigorous scientific and scholastic methodologies. Once Nichiren revealed the Three Great Secret Laws, nothing remained a secret. There are no secret oral transmissions or secret practices reserved for a particular group of clerics or mentors. There is no transmission other than Myoho renge kyo and the writings of Nichiren Daishonin. Lip service to "following the Law rather than the person", must cease. Many formal debates will have to be organized and all named schools and independents of influence will have to participate [something akin to the Four Buddhist Councils] and, if necessary, a rain or similar actual proof challenge.

"The Lotus Sutra is always supreme but its practice differs from age to age" -- Nichiren"In our present day, the Lotus Sutra is of course supreme, as it was in the past. And yet, because the way of practicing it differs from age to age, in this era, even if one were to retire to the mountain forests and read and recite it, or live in the villages and expound its doctrines, or observe all the various precepts, or even burn one’s arms as an offering, that person would nevertheless fail to attain Buddhahood." -- Letter to the Lay Priest Ichonosawa

SGI members "live in the villages and expound its doctrines" but they fail to attain Buddhahood because the practice of the Lotus Sutra in this era is admonishing slanderers of the Lotus Sutra. This is the only practice that leads to Buddhahood in Mappo.

"In January 1972, the Soka Gakkai, at the request of its President, Mr. Daisaku Ikeda, filed several patent applications at the National Office of Industrial Property, concerning the trade mark “Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.” The publication, in the Official Journal of the Japanese filing of this mark, is dated June 20, 1974. Complaints were filed by organizations affiliated with the School Minobu and other Nichiren Shu affilliates, who also recite Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, Rissho KOSEIKAI MYOCHIKAI Kyodan of Tokyo, the MYODOKAI Kyodan, DAIHEKIKAI Kyodan of Osaka. The approval was canceled on May 20, 1977. It is ‘worth noting that the Soka Gakkai filed 17 other brands “trademark” as “Shohondo”, “Dainippon Komeito,” “From Nichirenghe Zan”, the ancient name of Mount Fuji, etc..

Extracted from the French magazine “Le Bouddhisme de l’Ecole Fuji”, No. 17 December 1992 – Part following the No. 15, in turn, translated from “Nichiren Dai” – November 1992 (from a footnote on the page text of the 41 ° course held in the Great Hall of the Reading Taisekiji)

SGI members see what they want to see and believe what they want to believe. They have not delved deeply into the truth of even their own teachings. Perhaps I can help them.

Nichikan wrote:

"We recite the Hoben Pon (2nd chapter) to smash the provisional sutras, we recite the Juryo Hon (16th Chapter) to smash the Hoben Pon, and we recits the daimoku to smash the Lotus Sutra".

Nichiren wrote:

“Nowhere in all the five thousand or seven thousand volumes of sutras listed in the K’ai-yüan era catalog do we find a single scriptural passage that expresses disapproval of the Lotus Sutra and advises one to discard it or to cast it aside, nor any passage that says it is to be classified among the sundry practices and abandoned. If you disagree, you had better find some reliable passage from the sutras that will support your view, so that you may rescue Shan-tao and Honen from their torments in the hell of incessant suffering."(Coversations Between a Sage and Unenlightened Man).

Yet you do Gongyo and chant the Daimoku every day to this slanderer's Gohonzon. Why would you ever think for a moment that you too could escape the torments of hell?

In the "Toke Sanne Sho [On the Three Robes of Nichiren Shoshu]," Nichikan Shonin cites Nikko Shonin and Nichimoku Shonin as the Treasure of the Priest when revealing the Three Treasures of Nichiren Shoshu, and then states, "I say that all the Masters, the successive direct successors to the bestowal of the Law, are in this way included in the Three Treasures." (Seiten, p. 971)

Nichikan's Six Volume Writings" (Rokkan sho) is composed of the following:

1)."The Threefold Secret Teaching" (Sanju hiden sho): In this writing Nichikan exhorts us us to abandon the Lotus Sutra and only embrace Namu Myoho renge kyo. This is bizarre since Namu myoho renge kyo means devotion to the Lotus Sutra (Myoho renge kyo).

2)."The Meanings Hidden in the Depths" (Montei hichin sho). In this equally bizarre writing he changes the Great Secret Law of the Object of Worship in terms of the person from the Original Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni to Nichiren Daishonin.

3)."Interpretations Based on the Law" (Egi hanmon sho). In this equally strange writing, Nichikan teaches that the Lotus Sutra was preached by Shakyamuni to explain Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism rather than Nichiren Daishonin explaining the Lotus Sutra through his commentaries.

4)."Teachings for the Latter Day" (Mappo soo sho). In this writing, Nichikan attempts to overturn the use of statues as Objects of Worship despite the fact that Nichiren utilized and revered a Statue of Shakyamuni Buddha as an Object of Worship throughout his life, praised both Dozenbo, Toki Jonin, and Shijo Kingo for fashioning statues of Shakyamuni Buddha, and wrote about both "wooden and painted" images.

5)."The Practice of this School" (Toryu gyoji sho). In this slanderous writing, Nichikan says we chant the Daimoku to smash the Juryo Chapter and chant the Juryo Chapter to smash the Hobenpon.

6). The "Toke Sanne Sho" (The Three Robes of this School) explains the origin and significance of the traditional gray robe, the white surplice and the prayer beads of the Nichiren Shoshu priests. Here, he also goes on to overturn the Three Treasures of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren by asserting that Nichiren is the Treasure of the Buddha and that the heritage of the Law, the succession, is through the bequethal to one sole individual or the successive High Priests of Nichiren Shoshu (the Treasure of the Sangha). On the Juzu, he wrote:

"The Juzu is a means to guide persons of inferior capacity and force them into ascetic practices."

"Juzu require an eye-opening ceremony before use. This can be done at your local temple." (Six Volume Writings," Rokkan-sho, p. 225)

The Ryokkan Sho, far from being an Enlightened writing, is a bizarre writing.

Nichiren Daishonin, on the other hand, writes:

"When the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai applied the simile of ghee to the Lotus Sutra, basing himself on a passage in the Nirvana Sutra, he declared that among all the sutras the Lotus Sutra is worthy to be compared to ghee. The True Word teaching was introduced to China from India two hundred years or more after the time of T’ien-t’ai. How then could T’ien-t’ai possibly have stolen the ghee of the True Word teaching and called it the ghee of the Lotus Sutra? Of all strange events, this would be the strangest!

What evidence is there then for calling persons who lived two hundred years or more before the True Word teaching was even introduced to China thieves? Are we to put faith in these writings of the Great Teacher Kobo? Or are we to put faith in the Nirvana Sutra where the Buddha likens the Lotus Sutra to ghee?

If we are to regard the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai as a thief, then how are we to interpret this passage in the Nirvana Sutra? And if we accept the passage in the Nirvana Sutra as reliable and conclude that the writings of Kobo (Nichikan) are incorrect, then what are we to think of people who put faith in such erroneous teachings? All I can say is that one should compare the writings of the Great Teacher Kobo (Nichikan) and the pronouncements of the Buddha, and then put one’s faith in the one that proves to be correct." (On Prayer).

"But those who follow the teachings of Nichiren honestly discard the mistaken doctrines of the provisional teachings and the incorrect theories of the mistaken teachers, and, with all sincerity, put their faith in the correct teaching and the correct doctrines of the correct teacher. Accordingly they are able to gain the lotus of the entity and to manifest the mystic principle of the entity of the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light. This is because they put their faith in the golden words of the Buddha indicated in the “Life Span” chapter of the essential teaching and chant Namu-myoho-renge-kyo."(Entity of the Mystic Law)

Since the SGI fails, on this one vital criteria of putting "their faith in the golden words of the Buddha indicated in the “Life Span” chapter of the essential teaching", their land is the land of devils and hardships and not the Land of Eternally Quiescent Light. Wherever the teachings of the SGI spread, the people suffer and more tragedies and calamities occur. On the other hand, even one true practicer of the Lotus Sutra in a city or a country will bring good fortune and peace to the people.

Nichikan also wrote:

"The three groups of shomon disciples

accumulated good fortune since sanzen

jintengo [before being guaranteed

enlightenment), and those who received

the seed and reached enlightenment on

hearing the first chapter of the Lotus

Sutra accumulated good fortune since

Gohyaku jintengo. How possibly could

those who first received the seed during

the lifetime of the Buddha all without

exception achieve enlightenment in a

mere two-thousand years? [They

couldn't!] The reason is this: the

effectiveness of Shakyamuni's teachings

begins at Kuon Ganjo, but ends with the

two-thousand years of the Former and

Middle Days of the Law. ... Therefore

the people of the Latter Day of the Law

all innately have yet to possess the seed

and so are of the capacity to receive the

original seed of enlightenment directly."

(Rokkan-sho, p.110)

Who can understand such nonsense? He is like SGI leaders. Nichikan just makes things up out of thin air. What ever pops into his head he writes and calls it the True Teachings. Nichiren says about such men who fail to preach with Sutra in hand, even though they be great bodhisattvas, don't listen to them. Nichikan wasn't even a Bodhisattva. He was a madman and he inscribed the Gohonzon to which SGI members fuse. How could every last member of the SGI fail to become a madman? Here is more proof.

Nichikan writes in his Montei Hichin-Sho ["The Teachings Hidden in the Depths of the Text"]:

"Therefore know this: *"One of Perfect Freedom"* is His true state (honchi). Bodhisattva Jogyo is His transient reflection. And Nichiren is the manifestation of His true state (kenpon).

Nichiren Daishonin never revealed it and he never held back anything. Nichiren Shonin teaches that his true identity is that of Jogyo and hidden in the depths of the Juryohon is that he, as well as we, are Three Bodied Tathagatas, one with the Original Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni, our original teacher.

The Juryo (16) and Jinriki Chapters (21) of the Lotus Sutra and the Goshos, the Entity of the Mystic Law (Totaigi Sho), The Opening of the Eyes, The True Object of Worship, and Repaying Debts of Gratitude, explain why the Nichikan Gohonzon is a demon infested condition for the ruin of the individual, the nation, and the world.

'I likewise am the Father of the World,

The One who saves

from the various sufferings and travails" (Lotus Sutra Chapter 16)

"At that time the Buddha spoke to Superior Practices and the others in the great assembly of bodhisattvas, saying: "The supernatural powers of the Buddhas, as you have seen, are immeasurable, boundless, inconceivable. If in the process of entrusting this sutra to others I were to employ these supernatural powers for a immeasurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of asamkhya kalpas to describe the benefits of the sutra, I could never finish doing so. To put it briefly, all the doctrines possessed by the Thus Come One, the storehouse of all the secret essentials of the Thus Come One - all these are proclaimed, revealed, and clearly expounded in this sutra. (Lotus Sutra Chapter 21)

Nichiren comments on this passage:

Answer: In this passage, Shakyamuni Buddha explains that he is entrusting to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, his original disciples, the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, which is the essence of the Lotus Sutra. Shakyamuni, who attained enlightenment countless kalpas in the past, says elsewhere, "By now the original vows that I made have already been fulfilled. I have converted all living beings and caused them all to enter the Buddha way." Thus, he has already fulfilled his earlier vow. Then, intending to charge his disciples with the task of accomplishing widespread propagation in the fifth five hundred years after his death," he called forth the Bodhisattvas of the Earth and entrusted them with the heart of the sutra, the lotus of the entity of the essential teaching. This passage represents the ultimate purpose for which Shakyamuni Buddha appeared in the world, the secret Law that he attained in the place of meditation. It is this passage that gives proof of the lotus of the entity that, for those of us who live in the Latter Day of the Law, assures the attainment of Buddhahood in both the present and future."

Accordingly, at the present time in the Latter Day of the Law, other than the envoy of the Thus Come One, there can be no one who understands and produces this passage as proof of the lotus of the entity. Truly it is a passage of secret meaning. Truly it is a matter of great concern. Truly it is to be honored and admired. Namu-myoho-renge-kyo, Namu-myoho-renge-kyo!" (Entity of the Mystic Law)

"Answer: 'One: Japan and so on to the whole of Jambudvipa should uniformly take the Master of teachings Lord Shakya of the Original Doctrine as the Object of Worship." (Repaying Debts of Gratitude)

Now, when the Eternal Buddha was revealed in the essential section of the Lotus Sutra, this world of endurance (Saha-world) became the Eternal Pure Land, indestructible even by the three calamities of conflagration, flooding, and strong winds, which are said to destroy the world. It transcends the four periods of cosmic change: the kalpa of construction, continuance, destruction and emptiness. Sakyamuni Buddha, the Lord-preacher of this pure land, has never died in the past, nor will He be born in the future. He exists forever throughout the past present and future. All those who receive His guidance are one with this Eternal Buddha. (Opening of the Eyes)

In the same chapter, another passage reads: ‘The duration of My Life, which I obtained through the practice of the way of bodhisattvas, has not yet expired. It is twice as long as the length of time stated above: 500 dust-particle kalpa.’ This reveals the bodhisattva realm within our minds. The bodhisattvas described in the fifteenth chapter, ‘Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground,’ who have sprung out of the great earth, as numerous as the number of dust-particles of 1,000 worlds, are followers of the Original Buddha Sakyamuni who resides within our minds." (The True Object of Worship)

Nichikan asked us to abandon Shakyamuni Buddha and the Lotus Sutra. This is the purport of his Object of Worship. The Nichikan Gohonzon is neither based on the Lotus Sutra (Myoho renge kyo) nor on Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra. It is not based on the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin. Chanting to this Gohonzon is as if you were to take and revere the offering of a sumptuous meal from the murderer of your parents or praising the one who has kidnapped your child. You along with the offender (Nichikan) will both fall into the Lower Realms and the Sutra's promise of peace and security in this life and a fortunate birth in the next will allude you.

Further Proof of my assertion is the fact that SGI would take up this Gohonzon as their banner of propagation in the first place; the bizarre worldview of the SGI where Daisaku Ikeda is revered and praised at the expense of the Sutra, the Buddha, and Nichiren Daishonin; the misfortune that invariably befalls its leaders; and the lack of insight of the general members.

If you send me your Nichikan or Nichinyo Gohonzon, we will see to it that it is burned respectfully as an offering to Devedatta, the Ten Demon Daughters, the Lotus Sutra, and Shakyamuni Buddha or you may burn it yourself while reciting the Daimoku and the Jiga-ge for the repose of Nichikan, the greatest destroyer of Buddhism in human history

"Since you think Shakyamuni was the ultimate Buddha, what do you make of him saying, "I, too, once also practiced bodhisattva austerities." Does this not infer that he studied under someone, a prior Buddha who taught him these practices, or do you think he just made them up himself?

Does he also not refer to his first attainment of enlightenment in gohyaku jintendo (a long, long time ago) instead of kuon ganjo, the infinite past?

Also, since the Lotus was preached 3,000 years ago, does that mean there is nothing more to learn for the rest of eternity? Just wondering,"Then, more recently he wrote:"I guess if one can't reconcile the [fact] that Nichiren is the original Buddha, capable of inscribing his life-state into the form of a Gohonzon, the teacher of all Buddhas, past, present and future, the only alternative is to devise one clever guess after another."

Nichiren Daishonin's Perspective

The Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin teach that, "Shakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment at a time even more distant than gohyaku jintengo." (MW, Vol.2, p.268)

Here are more than a dozen additional passages from Chapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra which you recite every day:

"But forever here preaching the law."

And:

"I forever remain in this [world]"

And:

"And then I tell all creatures

That I exist forever in this world"

Therefore, once expedients are abandoned:

"I [Shakyamuni] tell all creatures that I [Shakyamuni] exist forever in this world."

All living creatures include those who have existed since time without beginning, those who now exist, and those who will exist in the infinite future.

"[I am] always on the Divine Vulture Peak

And in every other dwelling place".

This is self explanatory.

"Tranquil is this realm of mine,

Ever filled with heavenly beings,"

Parks, and many palaces

With every kind of gem adorned,

Precious trees full of blossoms and fruit,

where all beings take their pleasure"

Again, "ever" is forever [eternal] and "all" is all throughout the Three Existences. This passage brings up a very important point: Not only the Buddha Shakyamuni who teaches all beings the eternity of life is eternal but so is his land and so are the masses of beings.

''But all who perform virtuous deeds

And are gentle and upright

These all see that I exist."

Again, "all" is all. Those who existed, exist and will exist (from the standpoint of the Truth of Temporary Existence) who perform virtuous deeds and are gentle and upright, these beings see that Shakyamuni always exists. Does that mean that those who don't see the Buddha, those such as Nikken, Ikeda, and yourself, are not virtuous and upright?

"For the Buddha's words are true, not false.

Like the Physician who with clever device,

In order to cure his demented sons,

Though indeed alive, annonces his own death

Yet can not be charged with any falsehood,

I, too, being father of this world,

Who heals all misery and affliction,

For the sake of the perverted people,

Though truly alive, say [I am] extinct;

Who is the father of this Saha world who heals all misery and all affliction? There can not be two fathers. This would have been an opportune time for Shakyamuni to announce a Buddha more original than himself [as the father of the world] but, as we see, the Buddha Shakyamuni, consistent from beginning to end, again announces, "I".

The Original Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni always and exclusively practices the True Law and has been doing so since time without beginning. Nichiren, on the other hand, by his own admission, practiced the Nembutsu. The passage you cite, taken in the context of the entire Lotus Sutra and the commentary by Nichiren, is nothing more than an affirmation of Ichinen Sanzen. It means that even the Buddha from time without beginning contains the other nine worlds and manifests in different guises in order to preach the True Law. If you don't believe the Lotus Sutra and me, here is what Nichiren says in the True Object of Worship, explaining this passage of the Sutra:

"The Juryo chapter states: "Once I also practiced the

bodhisattva austerities and the life which I then

acquired has yet to be exhausted. My life will last

yet twice as many aeons from now." "He was speaking of the world of Bodhisattva within ourselves."

"Thus, in the various sutras other than the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni does not assemble those Buddhas who carry out different austerities and practices and who possess the three bodies nor does he identify them as emanations of himself. Only in the Hoto chapter of the Lotus Sutra does he do so. This chapter then, is intended as an introduction to the Juryo chapter that follows later. Shakyamuni Buddha who was believed to have attained enlightenment for the first time only some forty and more years previously, calls together Buddhas who had become enlightened as long ago as one or even ten kalpas in the past, and declares that they are emanations of himself. This is a far cry indeed from the Buddha’s usual preaching on the equality of all Buddhas [in their Dharma bodies], and in fact a cause of great astonishment. If Shakyamuni had attained enlightenment for the first time only some forty years earlier, there could hardly have been so many beings in the ten directions who had received his instruction. And even if he was privileged to possess emanations, there would have been no benefit in his showing them to his listeners. T’ien-t’ai, describing what went on in the astonished minds of the assembly, stated: "It was evident to them that Shakyamuni Buddha possessed numerous emanations. Therefore, they understood that he must have attained enlightenment in the far distant past." -- Nichiren

I have collected 98 additional passages of proof if you are still not convinced.

Question: What is the Meaning of Original Buddha or Original Teacher?

Original Teacher means that no matter how eminent, wise, or knowledgeable one may be, and no matter how diligent one is in carrying out the Six Paramitas (Six Perfections), there is no way that one could come up with, let alone reveal, Myoho renge kyo independently of Shakyamuni Buddha. Shakyamuni Buddha, in the history of the universe, was the one unique individual capable of doing so. Nichiren realized this, taught this, and reverenced Shakyamuni Buddha for His astronomical feat of autonomous self-practice. That is why He, rather than any other individual, is worshipped as the person of the Gohonzon (Ninpo-Ika). We owe our very Enlightenment to this Buddha and this Buddha alone.

The arrogance of those in the SGI and Nichiren Shoshu who misconstrue Shakyamuni Buddha's and Nichiren Daishonin's words for their own aggrandizement is cause to fall into the Lower Worlds and to remain there for a very long time. How can one follow someone who is so blind to the manifest reality that someone had to give them the Five Characters that they pay homage to? Daisaku Ikeda didn't come up with the formula Myoho renge kyo. The High Priest didn't come up with this formula. Even Nichiren Daishonin didn't realize and expound the Lotus Sutra in the infinite past. It was Shakyamuni Buddha who taught Nichiren Daishonin and the other Bodhisattvas of the Earth the Lotus Sutra in the remote past. It was Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha who planted the seed of Myoho renge kyo in our Buddha-nature, the seed that, if watered with a correct faith and practice, grows into the magnificent tree of the Supreme Enlightenment of Myoho.

As far as your question about nothing more to learn for all eternity, the World of Learning too is without beginning and end but it is not the state we should aspire to.

You have unquestioningly believed what your leaders and priests of Taisekaji have taught you without investigating the matter. You have gone against the Buddha's admonition to "be a lamp unto yourself" and to accept only those arguments based on the scriptures. I hope you will take this lengthy reply in the spirit in which it is offered and begin a faith, practice, and study consonant with the teachings of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin.

SGI claims that the meaning of “no worldly affairs of life or work are ever contrary to the true reality" are SGI's activities such as Victory Over Violence, their anti-bullying campaign, and their human rights education initiatives.My question is, where in the Lotus Sutra or Gosho is it taught that human rights education or anti-bullying campaigns leads to the Buddha's Land or the widespread propagation of the Lotus Sutra?

Myoho renge kyo always leads to the highest embodiment of human rights, destroying the will to kill, the mind to abuse others, and the will to harm the environment. Human rights education is an inferior type of almsgiving, Human rights education can not control the Three Poisons. Only Namu Myoho renge kyo can control the Three Poisons. This is the meaning of “no worldly affairs of life or work are ever contrary to the true reality."

"Couldnt help but roll my eyes, when the words "top leaders" are mentioned...well, I'm a bottom member....lol It seems to be such a useless badge that only succeeds in offending ordinary members and raising their ire...Isnt it crap? You are only popular in sgi, other than that, what?? Get some life... You know, ', and move on in the heart of real humanity......I'm tired of all that crap, top crap of top leaders etc...its all junk...........I'm no longer impressed and I'm tired of all that name calling..top leaders for what? To crack the arse of religion and play on people's beliefs? People are not made for religion...so shut up with that term..its rubbish."-- Jodine

Not being "people of the book' [Jews and Christians], Soka Gakkai members are not even accorded a right to life, let alone a tiny bit of respect from Muslims. Yet, SGI embraces Muslims as their friends. This is proof that Ikedaism is a false belief [their inability to see clearly]. Soka Gakkai men, women, and children will be killed or forced into slavery in the Muslim countries in which they find themselves should Islamic fundamentalists take power. Since they are going to die just the same, it would behoove them to embrace Nichiren Lotus Sutra Buddhism rather than Ikedaism.

"You Jonin Toki brought your mother`s ashes to Minobu and placed them at the altar where the Buddha Shakyamuni, our original teacher, is enshrined. Prostrating yourself in front of the altar, holding your hands together in gassho, you paid homage to the Buddha. You have overcome your sorrow at your mother`s death and firmly believed your mother was saved by the teachings of the Lotus Sutra. Thus, you were released from your sorrow. All of your body — your head, hands, legs, and mouth — are all inherited from your parents. This kinship between your parents and you is like the relationship between seed and fruit. Therefore, as your mother is saved, you are also saved by the teachings of the Lotus Sutra." --Nichiren’s Words –Bo Jikyo Ji

The principle that it is permissible for an SGI member TO LIE in order to protect SGI, the mentor, and their reputation from harm. To do so is part of conversion activities towards both "believers" and nonbelievers alike.

"The object of devotion as set forth in the “Life Span” chapter is Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, eternally endowed with the three bodies, who since the beginning of numberless major world system dust particle kalpas in the past has had deep and abiding affinities with this land of ours." -- Nicyhiren

"THE wardens of hell and King Yama are ten chō in height, their faces daubed in vermilion, their eyes like the sun or moon, with teeth like the prongs of a rake and fists like boulders. When they walk, the earth shakes as though it were a boat afloat on the ocean; their voices are like peals of thunder rumbling forth.

[Should you have to face them], you would be powerless to utter the words Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. You are not a disciple of mine. Write to me of what is truly in your heart and I will heed your words. Then I will pray on your behalf, racking my brains and taxing my body to the fullest. But understand that these must be prayers for your future existence. From now on, firmly resolve to strive for your future existence."

"Among my disciples there are some who, apparently still intent on slandering the correct teaching, accuse me, saying, “This priest is acting as an enemy of Great Bodhisattva Hachiman.” It seems they fail to realize that, when it is only reasonable to expect prayers to be answered and yet they are not, one may rightly reproach the object of worship..."

"Again, if we consider the question of how long it has been since these various Buddhas attained the fruit of Buddhahood, then we will find that there are some who became Buddhas ten kalpas ago, others a hundred kalpas or a thousand kalpas ago. But in the case of ShakyamuniBuddha, the lord of teachings, it has already been a period of numberless major world system dust particle kalpas since he became a Buddha of perfect enlightenment and complete reward. The Thus Come One Mahāvairochana, the Thus Come One Amida, the Thus Come One Medicine Master, and all the other Buddhas of the ten directions are followers of Shakyamuni, the lord of teachings and our original teacher. He is like the moon in the sky that is reflected in ten thousand different bodies of water."

"Within Buddhism, the Hinayana teachings will overthrow the Mahayana, the provisional Mahayana will overthrow the true Mahayana. In such cases, the Hinayana and provisional Mahayana will act as would non-Buddhist forces attacking the truth of Buddhism. But there will be other times when not the Hinayana or provisional Mahayana, BUT THOSE DEDICATED TO THE LOTUS SUTRA OF THE TRUE MAHAYANA THEMSELVES WILL ACT IN SUCH A WAY AS TO OVERTHROW THE LOTUS SUTRA, and this will be a very serious matter indeed." -- Nichiren

Now is a time when there are those dedicated to the Lotus Sutra of the True Mahayana (SGI, NST, and Nichiren Shu) who themselves overthrow the Lotus Sutra.

"As a 30+ year member of SGI (20+ in leadership), I must say partially cult-like. While there is strong emphasis on individual goals and practice, structurally the SGI-USA is a two-tiered organization: 1) general members, and 2) leaders. After 50 some years in the USA general members still have no say in the operation of the organization: they do not determine organizational directions (which set the annual agenda for all members), rules, or leadership. Leadership is appointed by higher levels of leadership, and the highest levels of leadership, the Central Executive Committee, make all decisions. Those decisions are implemented by a top-down organizational flow. Input of "General Members" is possible only at the lower levels of organization--for district and possibly chapter meeting content. Strict limitation of participation of general members and even lower level leaders--i.e. meetings only for District Leadership up, Chapter Leadership up, Area Leadership up, etc.--prevents participation of certain members at meetings intended to disseminate direction or policy, restricting questions, dialogue, and genuine discussion. In this regard, limited participation of members, the organizational structure is at odds with its teachings." -- Linda Thornburg

"... After they died, Dozen-bo began to have some faith in the Lotus Sutra. But it was rather like obtaining a stick after the fight is over, or lighting a lantern at midday— the proper time had already passed." -- On Repaying Debts of Gratitiude

"Thus, although their enlightenment may have been the same, from the point of view of the teaching that they propagated, Ashvaghosha and Nagarjuna were superior to Mahakashyapa and Ananda, T’ien-t’ai was superior to Ashvaghosha and Nagarjuna, and Dengyo surpassed T’ien-t’ai. In these latter times, people’s window becomes shallow, while the Buddhist teaching becomes more profound. To give an analogy, a mild illness can be cured with ordinary medicine, but a severe illness requires an elixir. A man who is weak must have strong allies to help him." -- Repaying Debts of Gratitude

"Under the pressure of persecution, in order to survive the sect went underground and, while some members worshiped overtly, others pretended to belong to an allowed sect and worshiped in secret. However, many faithful thought it unfair to give equal status to those who lived the life of a fugitive and risked their lives for their faith (the hōryū (法立?) and those who hid it pretending to belong to another sect (the naishinsha (内信者?). They also thought it was morally wrong to let a naishinsha officiate instead of a real monk even under the circumstances[--similar to the Donatist controversy in early Christianity]. Officiating requires a pure heart and a pure body, the argument went, but a naishinsha's body is soiled by his deceiving appearances. The dissent spread to the entire movement, with those who wanted a clear distinction between the two types of faithful being called tsuderaha (津寺派?) or (more formally) fudōshiha (不導師派?), and the others being called hisashiha (日指派?) or dōshiha (導師派?)[6]. The division hardened and survived to the present day, with the fudōshiha being represented by the Fuju-fuse Nichiren Kōmon-shū (不受不施日蓮講門宗?) which has its head temple in Okayama's Honkaku-ji, and the dōshiha by the Nichirenshū Fuju-fuse-ha (日蓮宗不受不施派?), which has its head temple in Okayama's Myōkaku-ji[6]." -- Fuju Fuse sect Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuju-fuse

We demand that the Soka Gakkai, the Nichiren Shoshu, and all Nichiren Sects pay allegiance to Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin.

Failing to meet our demand, we call on Shakyamuni Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin and the Buddhist gods to summon the SGI, the Nichiren Shoshu, the Nichiren Shu, the HBS and all the sects of Kyoto, Tokyo, and throughout the world for a rain challenge or formal debate.

"So the sage Nichiren said to them, “We will decide whose teachings are correct through this prayer for rain." -- Letter of Petition for Yorimoto

"I have heard that, when the priest Ryokan knew I was far away in a distant province, he told everyone how he wished I would hasten to Kamakura so that he might debate with me and dispel the people’s doubts...

...What is more, when I actually did return to Kamakura, Ryokan shut his gates and forbade anyone to enter. At times, he even feigned illness, saying that he had caught a cold."-- Teaching, Practice, and Proof

Even the lowly Nembutsu priests on Sado were more courageous than the Nichiren priests and high leaders of today. They are even more cowardly than Ryokan.

"The conflict between Nichiren and the various schools" [Opening of the Eyes] has now expanded to include the renegade disciples (SGI, NST, and Nichiren Shu) within his own school. Fortunately, just as Nichiren succeeded in spreading the Lotus Sutra despite the conflict, so shall we.

"My words (which have been predicted concerning conviction of Honge Jogyo may sound very boastful, but they were intended for the sake of helping the realization of Buddha's prophecy.... At any rate, who shall be qualified to be Honge Jogyo other than Nichiren, myself? The moon rises in the west and shines in the east, the sun rises in the east and shines in the west. Buddhism, too, is just like this. It came from the west to the east during the two thousand years of the Right and Fanciful Laws, but in the days of the Latter Law, Buddhism is for the sake of salvation from East to West.... According to Buddha's prophecy and considering all circumstances, now, Nichiren's age corresponds with the beginning of the Fifth Five Hundred Period. The True Buddhism shall go to the world from the Far East, Japan" (Nichiren's Works: Shinshio-Bunko & Ryogonkaku editions, Vol I., p. 476).

"Already the great Bodhisattva out of the earth has appeared, so that the great Law which the Buddha entrusted to him [summing up the salient points of His Laws], shall be evidence" (Nichiren's Works: Shinshio-Bunko & Ryogonkaku editions, Vol I., p. 325).

"In the beginning of the Fifth Five Hundred Period the Bodhisattva Honge Jogyo appeared and propagated this Law for the first time" (Nichiren's Works: Shinshio-Bunko & Ryogonkaku editions, Vol I., p. 508).

"The Musalman invaders sacked the Buddhist Universities of Nalanda, Vikramshila, Jagaddala, Odantapuri to name only a few. They raised(sic) to the ground Buddhist monasteries with which the country was studded. The monks fled away in thousands to Nepal, Tibet and other places outside India. A very large number were killed outright by the Muslim commanders. How the Buddhist priesthood perished by the sword of the Muslim invaders has been recorded by the Muslim historians themselves. Summarizing the evidence relating to the slaughter of the Buddhist Monks perpetrated by the Musalman General in the course of his invasion of Bihar in 1197 AD, Mr. Vincent Smith says, “….Great quantities of plunder were obtained, and the slaughter of the ‘shaven headed Brahmans’, that is to say the Buddhist monks, was so thoroughly completed, that when the victor sought for someone capable of explaining the contents of the books in the libraries of the monasteries, not a living man could be found who was able to read them. ‘It was discovered,’ we are told, ‘that the whole of that fortress and city was a college, and in the Hindi tongue they call a college Bihar.’ Such was the slaughter of the Buddhist priesthood perpetrated by the Islamic invaders. The axe was struck at the very root. For by killing the Buddhist priesthood, Islam killed Buddhism. This was the greatest disaster that befell the religion of the Buddha in India." -- Dr. B. R. Ambedkar the True father of modern India

Not everyone is predisposed to perform the forceful practices. Nichiren understood that, for one reason or another, not every one can perform the forceful practices. Some have not studied Buddhism sufficiently and others are innately gentle. Regardless, he mandated that his monks and priests perform the forceful practices but not necessarily the laymen. He also taught that whether or not one performs the forceful practices or merely chants Namu myoho renge kyo, one should support those who do the forceful practices, either through moral support, withholding criticism, or through donations [if a priest]. I believe that the forceful practices are the only appropriate means to convert such evil men and women as Soka Gakkai leaders and members, Nichiren Shoshu priests and laymen, Islamic fundamentalists who strap explosives on mental defectives and detonate them in the marketplace, Christian fire and brimstone fundamentalists, those of the Jewish Defense League, the Hindi Kashitra or Brahman class, and the authorities who support them

“It means to have a mentor in your heart while standing on your own two feet. President Toda resides in my heart. This is not something you speak out loud; it’s a matter of the heart. This is because unity is something that exists inside you.’ At all times, no matter where I am, I feel as if I am constantly engaging in dialogue with President Toda as I go about my activities. Our unity exists within me. This unity of mentor and disciple transcends distance and time...” -- Daisaku Ikeda

"When in one's heart one takes faith in Namu Myoho renge kyo, the heart becomes a dwelling and Shakyamuni Buddha takes up residence there. At first one is not aware of this, but gradually, as the months go by, the Buddha in the heart begins to appear as in a dream, and one's heart becomes bit by bit ever more joyful." -- Nichiren Daishonin

You are all Treasure Towers, Buddhas eternally enlightened and endowed with the Three Bodies. Now go out and get guidance from your SGI leaders --paraphrased from the July SGI 2013 video lecture On The Treasure Tower

"Attachments are good and some attachments are better than others." -- Daisaku Ikeda

"Attachments are bad and some attachments are worse than others." -- Nichiren Daishonin

"The Nirvana Sutra says: “[World Honored One, today I have learned the correct view for the first time. World- Honored One, up till today] we all have been people of mistaken views.” Miao-lo explains this by saying, “They themselves referred to the three teachings [they had practiced until that time] as mistaken views.” and Great Concentration and Insight says, “The Nirvana Sutra says, ‘Up till today we all have been people of mistaken views.’ ‘Mistaken’ is bad, is it not?” The Annotations on “Great Concentration and Insight” says: “‘Mistaken’ is bad. Therefore, let it be known that only the perfect teaching is good. There are two meanings involved here. First, what accords with the truth is to be accounted good, and what goes against the truth is to be accounted bad. This is the meaning the of the relative viewpoint. [Second,] attachment [to this viewpoint] is bad, and transcending it is good. [This is the meaning from the absolute viewpoint.] From both the relative and absolute viewpoints, we should abandon all that is bad. To be attached to the perfect teaching is bad, and to be attached to the other [three] teachings is of course even worse.”-- Opening of the Eyes